Lighthouse Private School

So my son had attended for about the last 22 months. So I will start with what went well and then what didn’t.
Pro’s:
+Very Affordable, especially if you have multiple children
+Hours very convenient
+Staff seemed friendly
+Our child seems to have learned a lot from being in that environment
+Parents night out once a month
What was very disappointing is after the past 22 months I was contacted on a Monday by the site director to let me know my son was not welcome to return after the end of that week. She said he had been getting aggressive with other children and staff. What was most concerning is that this was the first discussion we have ever had about his behavior. I asked how long it had been going on and first she said she didn’t know. I asked her to take a guess and she said a few months. A few months and she didn’t feel the need to escalate to his parents until it escalates to this point?! That is unacceptable. If he had been struggling for a few weeks we would have been looking for a better environment that he doesn’t act out. She mentioned that teachers had been saying something to myself or my wife which is grossly inaccurate. First when dropping him off and picking him up it was rarely if ever with the teacher he had spent the day with. So you would think that they would document something on his daily take home sheet. One time did they ever put any comment other than needing wipes or diapers. It said «He had a bad day», what does that even mean for a two year old.
Con’s:
–Site Director not involved in escalating children’s behavior until after 2 months and a decision made to dismiss him.
–Not informed in the change of primary teachers. Very high turn-​over which is also concerning.
–Child had 35 different incident reports, a good % of being bit. Hence where he pick up that unfortunate habit. Although 35 over the course of a few years isn’t probably too bad, the rash of bites was not good and the one that was unacceptable was putting his hand in an ant hill on their property. He was bit approx 20 times or so on his hand. Unfortunate they don’t spray and ensure they are not on-​site, but to not be paying attention to the kids is the other issue.
–Daily update forms not filled out completely or escalating anything out of the ordinary.
–Day not as structured as other day cares that I have recently visited.

I chose the Lighthouse School after several tours to other local preschool/​care centers. The Lighthouse was welcoming, affordable and the director, Ms. Rhonda, was fantastic from the get-​go. The space is very clean, open, with tons of yard space and even a splash park! The fish tank in the lobby always elicits a comment from my kid, even 9 months in. Since this was my daughter’s first experience with an organized play space/​kid zone I was totally nervous but having Ms. Kristen as the 4’s lead teacher made everything better. She is extremely kind, sweet and has patience of steel, dealing with 15 excitable 4 year olds on a daily basis. There are two other teachers who help out but Ms. Kristen is «número uno» in my daughters heart. She singled out my little one because she knew it was hard being a two-​day-​er, v.s. being an everyday-​er Lighthouse crew member. She updated me on super good days and even got my anti-​brush baby excited about ponytails and hairbows.
I love the seasonal parties, including Halloween, Easter Egg Hunts, Welcome Summer and more. I love the fact Lighthouse offers Parent’s Night Out, even though we have never taken advantage of the perk.
One wish is for fresher food served with the hot lunch, maybe some fruit that isn’t out of a can, but I can totally understand a budget and the need to keep within that budget.
Parents are informed when kids are upset, hurt or need Mom or Dad. Art projects are sent home or displayed lovingly on classroom walls. If looking for a full time daycare space, please consider The Lighthouse Private School. It’s doing the very best for each and every little person who walks through the door.